Five Weeknight Dishes: Corn and coconut soup, but make it lazy

By Emily Fleischaker, The New York Times

A co-worker recently used the phrase “spiritually out-of-office” to describe the vibe of summer. That slowing-down feeling applies to weeknight cooking, too. It’s hot. It’s vacation season. I say it’s normal to crave a few extra shortcuts and a little more time on the couch.

Below are some ideas (should I call them confessions?) to alter recipes when cooking dinner feels like scaling a 6-foot wall. A note of warning: These recipes simply won’t be as delicious as initially written. But they will still be much better than ordering overpriced takeout, and can help you manifest the lazy summer you deserve.

1. Spicy Corn and Coconut Soup

A good corn soup is creamy and naturally sweet; an even better corn soup is spicy, refreshing and addictive. In this recipe, it’s the combination of shallots, garlic, ginger, chiles and coconut milk, rather than heavy cream or butter, that makes the soup a...